This invention is related to a method of computer control and, more particularly, to a system for automatically directing a web browser application on the computer to retrieve and display information in conjunction with a unique bar code.
With the growing numbers of computer users connecting to the xe2x80x9cInternet,xe2x80x9d many companies are seeking the substantial commercial opportunities presented by such a large user base. For example, one technology which exists allows a television (xe2x80x9cTVxe2x80x9d) signal to trigger a computer response in which the consumer will be guided to a personalized web page. The source of the triggering signal may be a TV, video tape recorder, or radio. For example, if a viewer is watching a TV program in which an advertiser offers viewer voting, the advertiser may transmit a unique signal within the television signal which controls a program known as a xe2x80x9cbrowserxe2x80x9d on the viewer""s computer to automatically display the advertiser""s web page. The viewer then simply makes a selection which is then transmitted back to the advertiser.
In order to provide the viewer with the capability of responding to a wide variety of companies using this technology, a database of company information and Uniform Resource Locator (xe2x80x9cURLxe2x80x9d) codes is necessarily maintained in the viewer""s computer, requiring continuous updates. URLs are short strings of data that identify resources on the Internet: documents, images, downloadable files, services, electronic mailboxes, and other resources. URLs make resources available under a variety of naming schemes and access methods such as HTTP, FTP, and Internet mail, addressable in the same simple way. URLs reduce the tedium of xe2x80x9clogin to this server, then issue this magic command . . . xe2x80x9d down to a single click. The Internet uses URLs to specify the location of files on other servers. A URL includes the type of resource being accessed (e.g., Web, gopher, FTP), the address of the server, and the location of the file. The URL can point to any file on any networked computer. Current technology requires the viewer to perform periodic updates to obtain the most current URL database. This aspect of the current technology is cumbersome since the update process requires downloading information to the viewer""s computer. Moreover, the likelihood for error in performing the update, and the necessity of redoing the update in the event of a later computer crash, further complicates the process. Additionally, current technologies are limited in the number of companies which may be stored in the database. This is a significant limitation since world-wide access presented by the Internet and the increasing number of companies connecting to perform on-line E-commerce necessitates a large database.
The present invention dic sclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises system for connecting between a first location at a user""s site on a network and a second and remote location on a network. A unique ornamental symbol encoded with a plurality of dark and light areas is provided representing encoded information disposed proximate one end of the scan line, which encoded information is associated with the second location on the network, wherein the plurality of dark and light areas alternate therebetween along a defined scan line. The ornamental nature of the symbol indicates a network routing function. An input device is provided for scanning the encoded information into a user computer at the first location and operable to extract the encoded information therefrom for decoding thereof as decoded information. A web connection device is provided, which is operable, in response to the input device extracting the encoded information from the unique ornamental symbol as decoded information, to determine if the extracted decoded information is associated with the second location on the network and, if a positive determination is made, for connecting the user computer to the second location on the network.